Crystal Rose
by Qwisse
Summary: A collection of short stories.
1. Cloneproof

**Author's note:**

All right, I know I'll be writing more 200- to 400-word ficlets, and I don't want them all over my profile page. So most of them will be here. Longer and more complete oneshots will be published separately, though.

Genres: Humor/Drama/Adventure

Universe: games only.

**Disclaimer**: I don't own the characters. SEGA does.

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><p><strong>This chapter is a separate and finished ficlet.<strong>

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><p>1. Cloneproof.<p>

.w.

Shadow was looking at… something.

Something that had a shape of a hedgehog. Something with black fur and red stripes. Something broken, but still recognizable.

Shadow was looking at himself.

His own body torn in half. With a bunch of wires and scraps of metal sticking out and beams of sparks emerging restlessly. Right now already absolutely useless. Broken. Dead.

That… thing… had used to be one of the doctor's robots. Was he, too…?

…Meanwhile, Rouge and Omega took a few quiet steps back so the black hedgehog was out of earshot.

"That copy of Shadow… was made of metal, right?" the bat asked almost without parting her lips.

"Confirmed. No organic elements have been detected."

"So, if I stick this… this hedgehog… with something sharp and he doesn't bleed, then it will mean that he's a robot? And if he does, than it will mean that he's the real Shadow, right?"

"Affirmative."

"That's good. You know, I really wouldn't like to travel along with one of Eggman's androids," with those words, Rouge reached for her hair and took out a hairpin. A very long and sharp one. "Will you be so kind as to hold him for me, Omega?"

"Affirmative. Initiating capture mode..."

"Alright, here we go," the bat murmured, stepping forward.

Soon, a sound of struggle and then a loud shriek could be heard over the Rail Canyon…


	2. So much for the promise

**Author's note:**

End credits scene from SA2, slightly extended. Characters are Knuckles and Rouge. Humor.

**Edit 30-08-2012:** Chapter contents were changed.

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><p><strong>This chapter is a separate and finished ficlet.<strong>

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><p>2. So much for the promise.<p>

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"So, what's next for you, Rouge? Off again to find those jewels you love so much?" asked Knuckles.

"Nah, I think I'm going to give up this line of work. Too much work for too little pay," the bat replied carelessly, pocketing Shadow's ring Sonic gave her. "Anyway, I've got something better than jewels that I'm thinking about right now. It'll all work out. You'll see."

"If you say so," the echidna agreed easily.

He always believed there's good in everyone. Even in that bat girl.

…Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and Amy left the room shortly after Eggman and Rouge. As soon as they approached the rocket, Knuckles received a nudge from Sonic. "This time it's Tails who'll be piloting the ship," the hedgehog informed him. "I don't want to crash into Earth right after we beat that big boss big time. That'll spoil the whole effect."

The guardian shrugged indifferently. Now that the Master Emerald was safe with him, he didn't have to worry about finding it as fast as possible.

About the Master Emerald…

He reached for his dreadlocks to check the gemstone once again. Uncomfortable emptiness wasn't something he expected to find.

Several seconds later his muzzle nearly matched his fur in color as he managed to outvoice the roar of the ship's engine.

"**Rouge!**"

.w.

**Author's note:**

Sonic Adventure 2 ends with Rouge saying she's going to give up looking for jewels. The next game, Sonic Heroes, begins with Rouge looking for some treasure at Eggman's base and ends with Rouge going for Knuckles' Master Emerald.

SEGA really should have stopped changing scenario writers after Sonic Adventure.


	3. Last chance to be happy

**Author's note:**

Alternative version of SA2's Last story. The characters are Shadow and Amy. Drama.

**Edit 25-08-12**: The chapter was edited. Thanks to Lord Kelvin for pointing out the flaws.

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><p><strong>This chapter is a separate and finished <strong>ficlet.<strong>  
><strong>

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><p>3. Last chance to be happy<p>

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She was standing behind him, clutching her hands, making those quiet squeaky sounds – pitiful excuse for a girl's voice. He didn't listen, though. He knew she had to be trying to make him regret his actions and rush to help her friends now… phah. Not like it was going to work. His promise had already been fulfilled and nothing mattered to him anymore.

_'A reason to be happy,'_ she said.

Something deep inside his mind shifted as he heard those words. Suddenly he knew he had been told all that before.

_'For all people who live on that planet… give them a chance to be happy… Let them live for their dreams.'_

Shadow froze.

He had been wrong all this time. Maria had never asked him to avenge her, to destroy the planet. Gerald had. Or maybe someone else. He didn't know and didn't care. The only thing he could think of was that had broken his promise without even knowing it.

Or… had he?

That girl sure was surprised to see him relaxing all of a sudden. "Shadow?"

"They will."

"Wha… what?"

"People will have a chance to become happy."

The pink creature shifted again. "Shadow, they're about to die…"

"Yes," he agreed easily. "But it will actually be the best for them. They will have nothing to worry about, no more feelings to haunt them. Isn't lack of worries called happiness?"

It was so simple. He was going to destroy the planet for Gerald and make humans happy for Maria at the same time. Wasn't it perfect?

He heard some strange noise behind him and turned around to find out what was wrong with that girl – only to get a heartfelt slap across his face.

Quick footsteps had already died down, and he was still staring at the floor thoughtlessly. Had he said something wrong? He couldn't get it. He knew he was right.

His cheek was still burning.

Yet he shrugged it off and turned to the window. It promised to be a really spectacular sight…


	4. Guardian's dilemma

**Author's note:**

I was challenged to write a story about Knuckles, so here we go!

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><p><strong>This chapter is a separate and finished <strong>ficlet.<strong>  
><strong>

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><p>4. Guardian's dilemma.<p>

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The question was simple: to go or not to go?

To go meant to leave the Master Emerald unprotected— an insult for a guardian. Not to go meant some mental, and later even physical, suffering. An urge was troubling Knuckles, sort of urge that suggests no one can stay on one place forever.

He shifted uneasily. Sometimes he thought the island was too small for him.

Being unable to protect his stuff was pretty painful. He'd experienced it several times already, though, and he had a feeling that one more time wouldn't make a significant difference.

Remaining on top of that goddamned altar was becoming nearly impossible.

Actually, the echidna thought, looking for the stolen gem all over the world wasn't entirely bad. It might even be fun… in some twisted way. Would be a good reason to see some old friends, too. Come to think of it, there was a business between him and Sonic that was yet to be settled. And he was missing some nice robot beating already…

Knuckles sighed. He already knew he had lost it. He kept losing every time. There always was a point when he didn't even mind his property being stolen at all.

The guardian stood up and descended the stairs of the altar. Looking back at the emerald suspiciously one last time, he entered the woods. He could be seen right until he disappeared into a small wooden shed.

It had a crescent moon cut out on the door.


	5. The door is easier

**Author's note:**

A tiny addition to Insomnia. Consider it a post-credits scene, if you wish.

**Edit 18-09-2012:** Fixed a couple of things.

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><p><strong>This chapter is a separate and finished <strong>ficlet.<strong>  
><strong>

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><p>5. The door is easier.<p>

.w.

Eggman was busy developing another plan of world domination. Right now he could be found in a control room deep inside his base, studying some files on his computer and occasionally making corrections.

There was a loud _wham_ outside that made the walls shudder.

The doctor turned the intercom on. "The room is Chaos Control-proof, Shadow," he said without tearing his gaze away from the screen. "Be a good hedgehog, use the door for once."

Another _wham_ followed, louder this time.

"Spindash-proof, too. The door is on your left."

Silence filled the passage outside Eggman's control room; thick, thoughtful silence. It eventually ended with a somewhat uncertain blow on the door.

"Pull it, don't push it. It's open."

The dark hedgehog finally entered the place, his face being a mask of indifference. A person wearing this type of expression would instantly murder anyone unwise enough to ask what's wrong with them.

"What's the point?" questioned Shadow. "I haven't even seen a single battle robot to guard it and you."

The man turned to eye him, waving a hand carelessly. "Rouge obviously failed to teach you good manners, so I decided to give it a try myself. About robots— one of them is in the next room, actually. Pay it a visit on your way back, will you? The poor thing is dying of boredom."

Shadow frowned.

One short talk later he decided it was time to leave. Now feeling a lot more confident around the door, the ultimate life form even knew how to slam it closed behind him.

Eggman sighed. The black hedgehog was a tough learner, but he was making some progress nevertheless.

Of course, Knuckles would kill the doctor later for stealing the Master Emerald for a purpose this prosaic. It'd been paying off so far, though.


	6. Spines

**Author's note:**

The characters are Eggman and Metal Sonic. Humor.

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><p><strong>This chapter is a separate and finished <strong>ficlet.<strong>  
><strong>

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><p>6. Spines.<p>

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Eggman opened the front door of his latest base, and Metal Sonic fell inside. Eggman closed the door, tsk'ing disapprovingly.

"Third time in this month, isn't it?"

A pitiful sheaf of sparks emerged from the spiky head in response.

The man sighed. His idea to create a metal copy of Sonic had seemed so brilliant back then. But so far every clash had resulted in the robot being nearly taken to pieces by its cheeky counterpart, and Eggman himself having to repair it again.

He dragged the robot by its leg to his laboratory. Humming a random tune absent-mindedly, he replaced all destroyed parts and mended those that were only slightly damaged. Finally, only one thing was still to be renewed; the power source.

A small panel in Metal's back slid aside, letting the scientist take out a carnation. The flower looked as if it had been dead and dried up for centuries. He touched the dull petals, and they disintegrated.

Eggman shook his head and glanced at the shelf where the spare flower specimens were. He wasn't using them often and always kept forgetting to get new ones. He had already run out of carnations; in fact, out of everything apart from—

He blinked a couple of times. Reached out for a tiny flowerpot, touched the stem, let out a yelp; finally, quickly shoved the pot into the robot, sucking his finger. Metal Sonic whirred into life as soon as the panel was back to its place. After registering a nod from its master, the robotic Sonic rushed off to proceed with its mission.

The evil genius followed it with his gaze, a single finger still in his mouth. Maybe where the carnation was powerless, a cactus would do.

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><p>.w.<p>

**Author's note:**

Well, in Sonic CD Eggman used seeds/flowers as power sources for his robots, so…


	7. It's over 9000!

**Author's note:**

The characters are Eggman and Metal Sonic. Humor.

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><p><strong>This chapter is a separate and finished <strong>ficlet.<strong>  
><strong>

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><p>7. It's over 9000!<p>

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Eggman was sweating madly, his fingers flying over the keyboard. Numbers his life depended on were flooding the screen.

"Three minutes left," said Metal Sonic from behind him.

"I know!" his master snapped. "Be quiet."

His creation obeyed, but not for too long.

"One minute left." The robot couldn't let the pleasure of ticking his master off go by.

The man kicked him away without looking. An amount of zeros on the timer was horrifying now, and it wasn't even the end yet.

He pressed the finish button when he had only a second left before the disaster. After that, he could finally relax and sit back.

Eggman had just taken his yearly online IQ test.

The caption on the screen offered him to send an SMS to a certain mobile number to get his result. He didn't mind; he had bought a phone long ago, specially for that purpose.

A response came within seconds, and he opened the message with shaking fingers. "Your IQ is 300! Congratulations! You are a genius, greater than da Vinci or Gerald Robotnik!"

A loud guffaw filled the room. "Hohoho! Same as the last year! Still genius enough for the conquesting. Get the Egg Carrier ready, Metal, we're going to celebrate!"

Metal Sonic facepalmed in the background.

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><p>.w.<p>

**Author's note:**

In these parts, 'send a message to get your test results' is a popular internet scam. When you check your balance next time, you see that all of your money is gone. Usually, no result returns to you at all, but some really nice fraudsters happen. Eggman must have run into those.

I was googling for an IQ scale that would allow an IQ of 300. Was surprised to see that there is a lot of them, and there are different estimations of famous people's IQs for each one. For one, Tesla's IQ possible scores vary from 140 to 310. Eggman is lucky; living at this point of time, he can afford precise tests instead of guess-work.

Also learned that it's very hard to get the same result when taking the test after some time, for it depends on such factors as age, environment, mood, and so on. The way Eggman gets the same result for years makes me think there's something fishy about it.


	8. Omen

**Author's note:**

The characters are Tails and a spooky bot. Drama for now.

**Edit 23-11-2012:** Chapter contents were altered.

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><p><strong>This chapter is a separate and finished <strong>ficlet.<strong>  
><strong>

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><p>8. Omen.<p>

.w.

Someone knocked on the front door of the workshop. Tails opened it to see no one; hearing a persistent _clack, clack_ made him look down. A small robot bug sat on the steps, and its top shell was green.

"May welfare be with you, a sapient organic being," it buzzed. "Are you ready to confess your misdeeds?"

"Um, no, not really," Tails replied politely. "Why should I?"

"The end is inevitable, and only those who entrusted their souls to our Lord shall not suffer." The bot produced a picture of a bald man. His red moustaches were thin and curled upwards; the fox briefly thought he had seen him somewhere before, but he brushed it off.

"What end? Is Eggman going to attack again?" He still failed to get the idea.

"That is irrelevant. An enormous astronomical object is approaching the Earth. It will collide with the planet within a month, and all life forms will be annihilated. Only those who accepted our Lord will avoid the agonizing death."

Tails, who had personally seen meteor activity forecasts for the next few years, sighed. "This isn't the case. Don't worry, nobody is going to die. Everything will be fine."

The robot's pincers slid apart, apparently forming a sweet smile. It made the kit remember that _Predator_ movie he had seen a while ago.

"Incorrect. It won't. The signs have already been delivered. You may want to acquaint yourself with them now."

Tails looked above the bug. In the distance, right above Station Square, was floating Angel Island.

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><p>.w.<p>

**Author's note:**

Today is 21.11.2012. We will all die in a month.

And if we don't, I'll have a good laugh looking at this chapter afterwards.


	9. See you in the next life

**Author's note:**

SH randomness. 4th wall break in three, two, one...

**Edit 9-12-2012:** Chapter contents were altered.

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><p><strong>This chapter is a separate and finished <strong>ficlet.<strong>  
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><p>9. See you in the next life.<p>

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Tails and Knuckles looked down from the platform atop a skyscraper in Grand Metropolis. The black abyss stared back at them, and the heroes didn't like its expression at all.

"Um, I think it was a bit too harsh, Sonic," the fox said, shuddering.

"Yeah. They were just kids, after all," the echidna seconded the complaint.

"Apart from Big."

"Why? He's like a kid, too. Mentally."

Sonic bristled. "Amy asked for it, okay? C'mon, girls will be back in a minute. Those cheaters must have gathered a hundred extra lives by now. No worries." He then shifted uncomfortably. "Um. Yeah, they'll be back. Um. Shouldn't we get going? We've got Eggman to beat and all that stuff."

Knuckles nodded, and two heroes departed. Tails hesitated, though, wanting to have another look into the pit. His sensitive ears suddenly picked strange sounds coming from it, and he leaned closed to the source. A line of heavy wooden boxes was in his way, and he lifted one of them ever so slightly to get a view of the platform's edge–

A hand threw itself over the ledge. And another one. Someone was getting out of the void; by the sound of it, it was a hungry zombie.

Tails yelped and let go of the box, which landed on the gloved fingers happily. A high-pitched shriek followed, growing more and more distant until it turned into a sequence of erratic horns and bumping sounds. The boy remembered there were lines of airborne cars beneath.

He kept cringing and shuddering until the commotion died down. He considered peeking down, but decided against it. What Sonic said about being in a hurry and having to track Eggman down suddenly sounded like a very reasonable thing. Definitely more important than waiting for a resurrected and very displeased Team Rose to appear, fully this time.

His teammates weren't in sight, and he thought it was a good example to follow.

"Guys? Guys, wait for me..!"


	10. Coffee?

**Author's note:**

After-exam thing. The characters are Knuckles and Tikal.

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><p><strong>This chapter is a separate and finished <strong>ficlet.<strong>  
><strong>

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><p>10. Coffee?<p>

.w.

Winter was raging on Angel Island, covering it with snow and making Knuckles shudder constantly. The shortcomings of having to spend all his time on one spot… Rains were bad enough, but this frost was even worse. The thought of moving the altar into the caves near Lava Reef appeared more and more attractive with every passing day.

The green gem behind him still radiated hurt – the guardian had dared wonder if it could act as a heater for him – and felt even colder than the plain stone beneath it. It could be used as a shield against cold wind, but it was of very small help. So were fifty push-ups he did, desperate to warm himself up.

There was a tap on his shoulder. Still panting slightly, he glanced back and found Tikal standing next to the Master Emerald with a compassionate look on her face and a small white cup in her hands.

"Coffee?" she suggested, offering him the cup.

Knuckles merely nodded, taking it gratefully. He wordlessly watched the figure of the female echidna dissolve into thin air, feeling delicious warmth in his palms.

Then he frowned. It was beginning to dawn on the guardian that he had just got a cup of coffee from a girl who had been dead for centuries now. The thought appeared to be quite disturbing.

He sipped a little. The liquid was tongue-scorchingly hot and tasty, which made the echidna relax and nod with content. You always could trust your stomach. Eyes would occasionally try to trick you, but stomach wouldn't. The coffee was as real and substantial as it could possibly be.

With that, he sank down with his back against the emerald that somehow felt warmer than before. It sure was better with coffee.


	11. Top top secret

**Author's note:**

Eggman & Metal Sonic again. Popped up in my mind after reading Lord Kelvin's story, Urgent Delivery: The Chase. Go read it, you.

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><p><strong>This chapter is a separate and finished <strong>ficlet.<strong>  
><strong>

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><p>11. Top top secret.<p>

.w.

A G.U.N. soldier checked his wrist watch. "Any minute now," he said. "Get ready."

In a room full of top equipment, a dozen scientists peered into computer screens. Separated by a thick wall from them, surrounded by sensitive sensors of all kinds, a floor warp plate with Eggman's insignia on it started heating up. It kept glowing until a flash lit G.U.N.'s underground vault.

The first object that appeared in the room was a head of an Egg Pawn; no pawn body came with it. All scientists started typing furiously, careful not to miss any important detail.

A bunch of robot parts later, a damaged ball appeared. It looked like a copy of those wrecking balls Eggman used in his early robots.

"Such things haven't happened before," a scientist said. "What could it mean?"

"Can't even guess right now," another one replied. "But I'm sure that when we find out, we'll get a key to Eggman's defeat."

Meanwhile, on an island lost in the ocean...

"...How could you break one of my all-shattering wrecking mini-balls?! They're potentially indestructible!" Eggman was still raging.

"Your surprise is unjustified. This unit's attack capability is sufficient to–" Metal Sonic began.

"I didn't ask for an answer! Go get a new one."

The madman threw a screw at the robot for extra emphasis. Flashing a furious look at his creator and adding another line to his confidential to-remember-when-he-throws-Eggman-over-again list, Metal stepped on the two-way warp plate leading to the Egg Carrier. In a flash, he was gone.

Eggman hmm'ed and settled down on his sunlounger. On the other end of an improvised bowling lane on the sand, five remaining Egg Pawns started shifting away from five messy piles of scrap. Very slowly.

It didn't help them. "How are you going to escape from an island? Better get rid of this junk."

Twitching, his robots loaded their fallen comrades onto another warp plate. As soon as they were done, Eggman threw an empty drink can on top of the pile, and it was sent away.

The man sat back down. Using this dysfunctional one-way teleporter as a trash bin seemed a genius idea. If only he could remember where the other warp plate was...


	12. Priceless

**Author's note:**

The character is Rouge, obviously.

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><p><strong>This chapter is a separate and finished ficlet.<strong>

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><p>12. Priceless, or<p>

One of the reasons why Rouge wouldn't sell the ME at the jeweler's.

.w.

Rouge the Bat entered the jeweler's, carrying something in a big pack – big enough to make the jeweler raise his eyebrows. Being familiar with this lady, he knew she could mean business, but this time promised to be the most exceptional.

She removed the pack and placed an elbow-tall emerald of a deep green color – some would recognize it as the Master Emerald – atop his desk. "Let's see if you can buy it," she said.

The old man chewed his lip, admiring the jewel while calculating all the finances he could possibly gather. He studied the emerald through his monocle; then, he took it to his scales to measure weight. Then he hmm-ed.

"This gemstone is priceless," he finally said.

"You tell me."

"Very literally," the jeweler continued. "Its price is zero dollars."

"Wha..?" The bat blinked. "Huh, very funny. Just look at it– it's worth many millions."

"I can repeat: it's worth nothing. Look at the scales."

Rouge did. The balance indicator was showing a firm zero, and it was very obvious why: the ME hovered millimeters above the plate, not applying any pressure to it.

"You know how it works," the jeweler said. "A gem's price depends on properties like color or clarity, and weight in carats. In our case, properties do not even matter: as long as weight is zero, so is the price."

The bat was staring at him as if he suddenly started talking in Latin. He could imagine how crazy he sounded, but since the other option meant paying said millions for the stone, he was ready to try and pull it off.

"In fact, you could just give it to me now," he went on calmly. "But I'm a generous man, so I actually offer you a price: ten dollars for this emerald."

A long pause occurred.

"Ten dollars," Rouge said in a stiff voice.

"Ten dollars."

…Five minutes later, the jeweler was looking at his broken scales and a bat-shaped hole in his front window. He sighed; it's not like he couldn't foresee such an outcome, though.

Being related to the black market put certain restriction on contacts with police, although it was not like there was nothing he could do in a situation like this.

"Hello. The Chaotix detective agency? I have a job for you. A certain bat owes me something, and I need you guys to find her…"

.w.

**Author's note:**

The idea popped up in my mind while I was doing some research for My Light. Funny how it might turn out, huh?

Other reasons mentioned in the title include the possibility of Rouge deliberately deciding to make a necklace out of the ME, and to a certain extent Knuckles the Guardian; but that's for another story.


	13. Shadow The Hedgehog

**This chapter is a separate and finished ficlet.**

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><p>13. Shadow The Hedgehog.<p>

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SHADOW THE HEDGEHOG

Servings per container 1

.

Amount per serving:

Total fat: less than 0g

Sugar: 0g

Fluffy chest fur: 10g

Chaos Energy: over 9000MJ

.

Not a significant source of happiness, emotional comfort, or help when it comes to conquering the world.

Ingredients: Nature-identical hedgehog. Cannot guarantee amnesia free.

Allergy advice: might contain varying amounts of Black Arms alien blood.

Packed in the ARK, lower decks. Distributed by Robotnik INC.

Packaged in a protective capsule. Keep refrigerated when not in use. Not suitable for microwave heating from frozen.

Use by the end of eternity.

.w.

**Author's note:**

Um, I dunno... I think I would buy it.

Sorry for the length, I promise I'll make it longer next time!


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